Transitioning to a toddler bed...

I have now successfully transferred two kids from cribs to toddler beds. I transitioned Maverick when he was 20 months old because Madison was coming in 2 months and would need the crib.. I wanted to give him an adequate amount of time to adjust to sleeping in his "big boy bed" before his new sister came and took his crib away. His transition could not have gone any smoother. I read up on helpful tips for transitioning, and we used a few of them. We got him REALLY excited about the idea of getting a big boy bed, then we took him to the store and "let him pick out his bed" (Joe really wanted to buy him a race car bed, so we pushed for that one. Of course Maverick wanted it--what kid doesn't want a race car bed?!). We brought it home and put it together and Maverick was SO excited. I remember being so nervous and stressed out about the switch, yet Maverick seemed unphased and excited. We had gotten a video baby monitor a few months prior, and I think that helped us out immensely.

I had read that when you transition your child to a toddler bed, you have to be okay with the idea that they might end up sleeping on the floor. They get up and wander around a lot--so make sure their room is COMPLETELY child-proofed.. but sometimes they get tired and just fall asleep wherever they are. I thought the idea of that sounded cute, but I didn't want Maverick sleeping on the floor. As soon as I put him to bed, I would turn the monitor on and watch what he was doing. Luckily we lived in our tiny 850-square foot condo at the time, so if I saw him get out of bed, I'd just say "Maverick, get back in bed!" and he would--I wouldn't even have to get up. There were times that he would roll out of bed in the  middle of the night--but his race car bed is so low that he wouldn't even wake up, so I'd go in there and put him back in bed. He was the easiest kid in the world to transition--and although I loved it at the time, it didn't even come close to preparing me for the nightmare Madison would be.

Transitioning Madison to a toddler bed was a completely different scenario. I had wanted to keep her in her crib for as long as I possibly could, but with having an older brother who would climb in and out of her bed to play with her in the morning, she very quickly caught on how to climb out--at the young age of 17 months. I was so sad! She's my baby--we've decided that we don't want to have any more kids, so I think I'm clinging onto things a little bit longer than I did with Maverick--and the crib is included. I wasn't sad at all when we transitioned Maverick to his bed--but as soon as we put Madison's new bed together, I couldn't help but cry. My little baby was growing up!

If you've read any of my other posts, you know stubborn Madison is (just like daddy!!). Transitioning her to her toddler bed was a nightmare. We had since moved into a big 2,200 square foot house, so I didn't have the luxury of yelling "Madison, get in bed!" like I had with Maverick. This time, if she got out of bed, I had to run upstairs and tell her to lay down. It was EXHAUSTING. Bedtime started taking about an hour for her to actually fall asleep--which meant an hour of me running up and down the stairs telling her to get in bed. This routine got old QUICK. Weeks and months went by--nothing was working. I couldn't keep her in her bed! I was at my wits end--I dreaded bedtime and usually ended up crying every night out of pure frustration.

And then a miracle happened. I asked for advise on my mommy forum, and some woman wrote back that I should use the Nanny: 911 technique. She explained how to do it and wished me luck. This lady was my answered prayer--I was SO thankful for her! For those of you who don't know the Nanny: 911 technique, here's what it is:

When its bedtime, go through your regular routine: bath, story, cuddles and kisses, then bed. Tell them that its time to go to sleep, then leave them be. The first time they get out of bed, go in their room, put them in bed, and say in a stern voice "its time for bed." Say only that--then leave the room. Any time after that, if they get out of bed, go in their room and lay them back down--don't say a thing. They're looking for a reaction from you, and with this they wont get one.

This technique saved my sanity. It took about a week or two for Madison to fully get it, but I started seeing a difference within days. If you're having trouble transitioning your toddler to a big kid bed, you have to try this technique.

Good luck! :)